[Tip] Remove Side Panel Button in Google Chrome
This article will help you in getting rid of Side Panel button or icon from the toolbar in Google Chrome web browser.
If you use Google Chrome web browser and it suddenly started showing a new button “Show Side Panel” on its toolbar near the user account and Extension icons, you are not alone. Google Chrome team has started rolling out the new “Side Panel” feature to all Chrome users and that’s why you are seeing the new toolbar button in your browser.
When you click on the Side Panel button, it opens a new vertical sidebar at the right-side of the browser containing Reading List and Bookmarks tabs as shown in following screenshot:
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Side Panel works like a sticky or pinned sidebar which always stays on the top. If you remember, we shared a tutorial about this feature when it was a hidden secret feature and could be enabled by modifying a preference/flag.
[Tip] Enable New “Side Panel” Feature in Google Chrome
Recently a reader asked us a way to remove the new toolbar button in Chrome:
How do I hide the “show side panel” button? I’m never going to use this but it takes up space. It would be nice to get rid of the “you” button as well.
Fortunately, the same method can be used to disable or remove Side Panel button as well as the whole feature in Google Chrome web browser.
If you also want to remove Side Panel toolbar button in Chrome, following steps will help you:
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UPDATE: The preference/flag mentioned below has been removed from Chrome 102 and later versions. So this method no longer works in newer versions of Chrome. We are trying to find a new working method or any possible workaround to remove Side Panel in Chrome 102 and later versions. If we find any solution, we’ll update this article.
1. Open Google Chrome web browser and type chrome://flags/ in address bar and press Enter. It’ll open the advanced configuration page.
2. Now type side panel in the “Search flags” box.
Look for following option in the results:
Side panel
Enables a browser-level side panel for a useful and persistent way to access your Reading List and Bookmarks. – Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, Fuchsia
#side-panel
3. To deactivate and disable Side Panel feature in Chrome, select Disabled from the drop-down box for the above mentioned option.
4. Google Chrome will ask you to restart the browser. Click on “Relaunch now” button to restart Google Chrome.
That’s it. You have successfully disabled Side Panel feature in Chrome. Now Chrome will no longer show Side Panel button in its toolbar.
PS: In future, if you decide to restore Side Panel feature and toolbar button in Chrome, select “Default” option from the drop-down box for above mentioned option and restart the browser.
Also Check:
[Tip] How to Hide or Remove “Apps” and “Reading List” Buttons from Chrome Bookmarks bar
[Tip] How to Disable or Enable “Reading List” Feature in Google Chrome
Flag doesn’t exist.
bro please find a solution for v102
With new version of Chrome, the option “Side Panel” doesn’t appear
Google have removed the flag which disables this feature so have therefore made it permanent and the end user is now unable to disable it.
Adding to these comments, I, too, am now unable to find the side-panel flag to disable it. I’ve disable everything related to the side panel, to no avail of removing this annoying “feature” icon. Please let us know when a workaround is available. Thanks.
There is one solution to remove this panel …it is called Firefox…
This doesn’t show up
Just like the extensions button, the side panel button can no longer be removed.
Remove Side Panel Button in Google Chrome! Go to: mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/new/ and download Firefox!
Maybe someone can nab the name for –disable-features=
Or if there’s a list of all features that can be enabled/disabled, side panel has to be on that list
JUST USE FIREFOX
new way to say “I dont have a job that relies on chrome” dropped